- #Colt saa 1st generation serial numbers
- #Colt saa 1st generation serial number
- #Colt saa 1st generation full
It was identical to this one, except for the stocks.Barrel groove and cylinder chamber mouth specifications should be of prime interest to any handloader of Colt SAAs, for dimensions can be all over the map. Purchased in 1968, Mike’s very first Colt SAA was a 2nd Generation. 007 inch smaller than barrel groove diameters. That specification sheet also gives all calibers from. I have a Colt factory specification sheet dated 1922 that lists. 454-inch barrel groove diameters, but when the SAA was reintroduced in 1956, that specification was changed to. Something written many times is that 1st Generation Colt. 44 Smith & Wesson Special in 2008, specifications for barrel groove diameter was. If you are not confused yet, try this one on: When Smith & Wesson introduced the. 357 Magnum’s barrel made in 1969 slugs exactly. I thought that surely Colt would also have moved from. 357-inch barrel groove diameter used for. 357 Magnum in 1935, the company stayed with the same. 38 Colt SAAs prior to 1914 actually had barrel groove diameters of. 38 Smith & Wesson Special, but starting in 1922 many more were given the exact same barrel and chamber dimensions and had a “.38 Colt Special” stamp. For example, only a few hundred SAAs were marked. They proved to be some of the best shooting SAAs ever made.Barrel and cylinder dimensions for SAA cartridges are a must-know for handloaders. 44-40s (nickel-plated) were available in the 1970s as commemorative editions. Over the last half century, I have handloaded all of the rounds mentioned in this paragraph to the collective tune of many tens of thousands. In the 3rd Generation, all of the above cartridges were offered at one time or the other, except. There were four choices in the 2nd Generation. The most recent 3rd Generation samples of which I am aware have been in the S75000A range.Ī well-known fact is that Colt chambered the SAA for about 36 cartridges in the 1st Generation. (Note this time a skip of 2,000 numbers.) Several 3rd Generation parts are not interchangeable with earlier production runs. In 1993 number SA99999 was made, so Colt’s move was to make “S” the prefix and “A” the suffix. For some reason, 1,000 numbers were skipped. Then the SA became a prefix, with numbers jumping to SA01001.
#Colt saa 1st generation serial numbers
Serial numbers took off at 80000SA and ran to 99999SA in 1978. After a hiatus of two years for retooling and some engineering changes, the 3rd Generation was introduced. Almost all parts are interchangeable between 1st and 2nd Generation SAAs.
#Colt saa 1st generation serial number
The 2nd Generation started in 1956 at serial number 0001SA and ran to somewhere between 73000SA and 74000SA. Serial numbers started at 1 and stopped at 357859. Running continuously from 1873 to 1941 was the 1st Generation.
#Colt saa 1st generation full
This is because I also have a rack full of Winchester rifles and carbines in those cartridges.Īt this point, let’s nail down this matter of “generations.” According to Colt, there have been three. (I don’t remember ever firing that second cylinder.) In second and third place are. 45s, including one that also came with a. Again referring to crude records, at least 36 of those SAAs have been. 38-40, but interestingly there was a tiny “.44 CF” stamped on the trigger guard’s left side, meaning it The earliest SAA I have owned was made in the 1880s, but the exact year of manufacture escapes my memory. These have included all three generations, with some each of full-blued, full nickel-plated and blue/case-Ĭolored frame finishes. Since that fateful day in 1968, according to my handwritten notes, I have owned another 83 SAAs if a single. Today I have a plethora of suitable moulds and reloading tools for it. According to its serial number, it left the factory in 2008 and is every bit a nicely crafted revolver as was that first. It has a 7.5-inch barrel and is based on the misnamed “black powder frame.” To me that made it worth a premium. 45, but from the 3rd Generation of production. Now 50 years later my most recent Colt SAA cost 22 times more than that first one! It is also a. Sizing die and happily reloaded hundreds of rounds for both handguns with that single set of dies and one mould. This was during my second year as a handloader, so I wasn’t overly knowledgeable. Buying reloading equipment dedicated to each handgun just wasn’t possible. Model 1911A1 had basically fallen into my lap for free. 45 Colt show Colt’s problems with consistent chamber size.Compounding the financial problem was that a U.S. The chamber mouth dimensions of this 3rd Generation.